Secret Service Mouse
Tuesday, September 18, 2012 at 6:30AM
We had a stowaway on our trip to Germany this week. A one Mr. Cruise Ship Mickey.
We bought Miles this Mickey Mouse on our Disney Cruise to Alaska last summer. He sleeps with it every night but lately he has taken to bringing it with him on adventures during the day.
One of my recent reads on early childhood development pointed out that toddlers often attach themselves to a stuffed animal that can act as their royal tester. If a situation is new or slightly scary, there is always Mickey to test the waters. My husband Clayton calls him Miles' personal Secret Service.
If we are heading to a new place, Miles quickly shoots his hands in the air and says, "I want Cruise Ship Mickey!"
Food is new and unfamiliar? Cruise Ship Mickey must try it out first.
Time to get fingernails trimmed? Mommy must trim Cruise Ship Mickey's fingernails first.
The world can be a scary and confusing place for a toddler so it is sweet that they can find comfort in something that can help them make sense of it all. Harmless and adorable.
We all made a point to keep a close eye on Cruise Ship Mickey as we toured the sometimes-scary castles of Bavaria. When we toured Neuschwanstein Castle, which was the inspiration for Sleeping Beauty's Castle in Disney's Magic Kingdom, Miles was especially excited to "show Mickey his castle!"
But boy did that mouse get dingy!The very first thing I did when we arrived home yesterday was tie Mickey in a pillowcase and throw him in the gentle cycle. He was dry before bedtime. His pants are still a bit worn and his cap doesn't exactly look good as new, but at least he is airplane germ free!
What are the objects that your child uses as his/her own Secret Service life tester?
Cleaned up after a long trip overseas!
Reader Comments (11)
My son, Griffin, has animals all over the place. He has a bear that he uses in the car, we call him Car Bear. He's done a complete swap of all his bedtime animals and now has a bunny, Nemo, and Panda. Bunny tends to be his travel buddy though. I've been amazed by how quickly he detaches from one and attaches to another.
So cute!! My daughter is obsessed with 'Me-mo" I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a huge fan of stuffed animals, but I'd say her personal secret service members are a stuffed Hopkins from the Baby signing time DVDs and a stuffed "Slider" who is the mascot for the Cleveland Indians (hubbys favorite baseball team). Maybe you or some other mommies have some insight... I'm trying to not push these guys on her when she naps or goes down at night because I"m nervous that she will begin to rely on them to sleep or go anywhere. What if we lost one? I don't want them to become a crutch, but love the comfort that they bring her! What do you think?
Reese has a Mickey Mouse just like this except with the traditional red pants and yellow shoes. She sleeps with him every night and carries him around the house. He does everything with her. At one point she didn't want to leave the house without him and since she sleeps with him I hated when she'd bring him out and get all dirty. So, we bought her a similar smaller Minnie Mouse that she travels with. It's really cute how attached they get to these stuffed animals. I'm dressing her up as Minnie Mouse for Halloween :) Maybe Miles can be her Mickey Mouse?
My son had a Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, whose nose lit up and played the song!
my daughter had her "mr. bear" that was her security for a very, very long time. she is now 19 yrs. old and "mr. bear" is in the firebox just in case. in her childhood mr. bear was deff. the most important object, hence the firebox.
Clayton and I had wondered if this was perhaps an unhealthy attachment but most of my reading indicates it isn't. It's just a coping mechanism. I've read that their fear of things unknown peaks at 3 so whatever helps them deal is a good thing, no?
Did we just gloss over the fact that you traveled to Germany with a toddler and a baby?! How did that go? You have to do a post on travel advice with 2 kids; I'm very curious!
Did we just gloss over the fact that you traveled to Germany with a toddler and a baby?! How did that go? You have to do a post on travel advice with 2 kids; I'm very curious!
I think it's perfectly natural to allow a child to find comfort and reassurance in a "stuffed friend". I had one as a child and I've know others who have had "security blankets" that were even passed down to their children. I hope Cruise Ship Mickey brings many more smiles and diverts fears for Miles in the years to come.
By the way, if you haven't seen the youtube video of the little boy who's stuffed animal was lost for 3 years, here's the link. CAUTION: Have some tissues available ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lk34j3HUJbE&feature=share
Yeah that was adventurous in and of itself! I'll be sure to post about it but the secret is that the kids were out numbered. We brought grandparents so it was 4-to-2 in favor of adults so the load was lighter!
My oldest had stuffed animals, utilized much in the same way.. although not as a "taste tester" or "getting nails clipped first". It acted more like Linus' Blanket. Victoria, as a child with DS, often has various objects which have texture differences (often seen in autistic kids as well). But for the last 2.5 years, it has been the "iPad". We just got discharged from a 3 day hospital stay-- and you can bet she had that with her-- even during times when she was "loopy" after having a drug pushed on her --- but to still swipe, open apps, go to youtube and surf, etc.... comforted her.